- Rationale
‘Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)’ use has great benefits for the development of learners’ learning and the administration and governance of a school. With these advantages, however, come a number of risks, including:
1.1 sexual exploitation
1.2 identity theft
1.3 spam
1.4 ‘cyber’ bullying
1.5 Viruses
It is the aim of this policy to minimise these risks for
1.6 learners and
1.7 staff and others involved with the daily activities of the school.
This policy which is supported by the administrators, staff, visitors and learners, is to protect the interests and safety of the whole school community. It is linked to the following mandatory school policies: child protection, health and safety, home–school agreements, and behaviour/learner discipline (including the anti-bullying) policy and Health and Safety (as referenced in the Learners’ Handbook and the Health and Safety Policy).
2. What is ‘ Unsafe’ Use of ICT
The policy is focused upon significantly unsafe use of ICT, not minor infringements. Just as safe use of ICT is commonly known as e-safety, unsafe use of ICT is an e-safety incident. E-safety incident:
2.1 uses some form of technology-
2.2 causes or could have caused significant offence, harm or distress
2.3 may or may not be deliberate
2.4 may not have occurred within school or on school equipment.
2.5 a learner or member of staff viewing pornography on a school computer
2.6 a learner bullying someone from another school with text messages
2.7 a learner bullying a fellow learner using instant messaging services from home
2.8 a learner placing distressing posts about a member of the school community on social networking sites like Facebook
2.9 a learner publishing their own address details on the internet
2.10 a learner publishing revealing images of her or himself on a social networking site
2.11 a learner sharing a phone video of a member of staff in a lesson with other learners
2.12 a member of staff suspecting a learner of being groomed by a paedophile through their use of internet chat services
2.13 a learner modifying a photo of a member of staff and distributing it leading to offence
2.14 a learner sharing personal data while gaming
3. Staff Responsibilities
3.1 e-Safety Officer
There is an assigned ‘e-Safety Officer’; all members of the school community will be made aware of who holds this post. It is the role of the e-Safety Officer to:
3.1(a) keep abreast of current issues and guidance for any present or changes in Regulations governing e-safety for children
3.1(b) support staff in handling incidents
3.1(c) support education of learners and staff in the safe use of ICT
3.2 Network Services Manager Maintains services in support of the safe use of ICT.
Typically to include;
3.2(a) internet and email filtering and logging
3.2(b) classroom management tools to monitor ICT use
3.2(c) network access logging
3.2(d) appropriate level of network security against malicious use
3.3 Other staff
Staff is sensitized to the following
3.3(a) know what is safe use of ICT
3.3(b) model safe use of ICT within the school community and beyond
3.3(c) to be alert to unsafe use of ICT, by learners & staff within school and beyond
3.3(d) manage & report incidents as appropriate
3.3(e) educate learners where required by the curriculum
4. Learner Responsibilities
4.1 Must adhere to the established e-Safety Policy
4.2 Must report incidents as they occur through the most appropriate member of staff; current teacher, Officer or e-Safety Officer (cyberbullying, sexting, gaming, online videos, harmful content, various inappropriate social media platforms)
5. Parent Responsibilities
5.1 Understand the e-Safety Policy and encourage their child to use ICT safely
5.2 Accept any sanctions (as identified in the disciplinary procedures of the Handbook) that are applied when a learner breaches the policy.
6. Education in Safe Use of ICT
6.1 Staff
6.1(a) All staff will be trained in the safe use of ICT both for themselves and for learners they supervise.
6.1(b) This will be incorporated with training in Child Protection/Safeguarding and the Laws that governs their practice.
6.1(c) New staff will receive information on the OXIS e-Safety policy as part of their induction.
The training will sensitize staff of their individual responsibilities for the safeguarding of children within the context of e-Safety and will cover what to do in the event of misuse of technology by any member of the school community.
6.2 Learners
6.2(a) Opportunities will be provided through the main areas of ICT, e-Safety lesson, and assemblies. E-Safety will be supported in other curriculum areas as appropriate and other more informal settings eg. Registration
6.2(b) Learners will be sensitized through an ICT curriculum will include relevant legislation such as Data Protection and intellectual property laws which may limit what they want to do but also serves to protect them
6.2(c) Learners will be taught about copyright, plagiarism and respecting other people’s information, images, and other e-safety related topics
6.2(d) Learners will be made aware of the impact of Cyberbullying and know how to seek help if they are affected by any form of online bullying.
6.2(e) Learners will be taught the dangers of releasing personal information via social networking platforms and instant messaging and chat facilities. Technologies that have good educational outcomes will be available on the OXIS website.
6.2(f) Learners will be provided with information how and where to seek advice or help if they experience problems when using the internet and related technologies; i.e. parent, teacher or trusted staff member.
7. Managing Technology
The internet is a gateway for open communication that is available to all, at all times. While the internet has been proven to provide readily accessible information, send messages, discuss ideas and publish material which makes it an invaluable resource for education, social interaction and business. It poses a potential risk to young and vulnerable learners. All members at The Oxbridge International School have access to the network and is given passcodes to be logged on and therefore allows any inappropriate use to be identified and followed up by the e-Safety Officer.
7.1 The network system at Oxbridge International School allows monitored access and use of the school network including internet services, so activity is monitored and recorded. Email and internet activity can be monitored and explored further if required. The e-Safety Officer will be aware of its responsibility when monitoring staff and learner communication under current Regulation and take into account:
7.1(a) Data Protection Act 2011 of Trinidad and Tobago
7.1(b) The Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000,
7.1(c) Trinidad and Tobago: Cybersecurity Laws and Regulations 2022
7.1(d) Human Rights Act 1998. Every user will be given the opportunity to access the internet services, and school personnel will use management control tools for controlling and monitoring workstations.
7.2 Managing the Internet
All access to the internet will be monitored. Staff will make every effort to preview sites before recommending them to learners; it is recognised that internet sites are beyond the control of The Oxbridge International School. All users must observe software copyright at all times. It is illegal to copy or distribute school software or illegal software from other sources. All users should make all reasonable attempts to observe copyright of materials from electronic resources. Users must not post personal, sensitive, confidential or classified information or disseminate such information in any way that may compromise its intended restricted audience. Users must not reveal personal information about members of the school community (including names) acquired through school life on any social networking site or blog without seeking the person’s permission. Any information published on the internet prior to the Oxbridge International School e-Safety policy may remain where not causing an issue. It is incumbent on all staff to declare any material in the public domain (to the Network Manager) which will be inspected for suitability. Collaborative learning or blogging activity is be carried out only on school managed service e.g. an internal server or hosted solution.
8. Communication
Learners, Parents, Staff and Administrator are made aware of the OXIS e-Safety Policy through varied means:
8.1 The e-Safety policy will be introduced to the learners at the start of each school year through ICT and Health and Safety sessions
8.2 e-Safety messages will be ingrained across the curriculum whenever the internet and/or related technologies are used including Assemblies and Health and Safety sessions
8.3 e-Safety posters will be prominently displayed
8.4 Parents will receive regular information regarding keeping their child safe (e-safety information, emails e-newsletter and the OXIS website.
8.4(a) school website
8.4(b) school learning platform
8.5 e-Safety updates will be displayed via OXIS website, emails
8.6 on the school screen savers
9. Specific E-Safety
9.1 Digital images & video Digital images are easy to capture, reproduce and publish and, therefore, easily misused. The appropriate manner to take or store images of any member of the school community or public, is to seek consent and consider the appropriateness. With the written consent of parents (on behalf of learners) and staff, the school permits the appropriate taking of images by staff and learners. Staff should only take photographs or videos of learners with the express consent of learner and parent. This will be obtained from parents on entry to the school and a list of the learners whose parents have objected to this is kept by the Data Manager. It is preferred that school equipment is used for this, but in any case, images must be transferred within a reasonable time scale and solely to the OXIS network or hosted services controlled by the school and deleted from the original device. Guideline for using their personal digital equipment, especially during field trips, that images and video should only be taken with the subjects’ consent. Learners would also be advised that complaints against established guidelines will be considered a serious breach of the e-safety policy and risk having the device confiscated until it can be inspected, in their presence, by the e-safety co-ordinator or a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Permission to use images and video of all staff who work at the school is sought upon registration and a copy is to be stored in the relevant personnel file.
9.2 Publishing Learner’s Images and Work
On a learner’s entry to the OXIS, all Parents are asked to give permission to use their learner’s work and photos in the following ways:
9.2(a) on the OXIS web site
9.2(b) on the OXIS Learning Platform
9.2(c) in the school prospectus and other printed publications that OXIS may produce for promotional purposes
9.2(d) recorded or transmitted on a video or webcam
9.2(e) in display material that may be used in the OXIS congregational areas
9.2(f) in display material that may be used in external areas, that is, promoting the school
9.2(g) general media appearances, e.g. local, national media or press releases sent to the press highlighting an activity (sent using traditional methods or electronically).
This consent form is considered valid for the entire period that the child attends this school unless there is a change in the child’s circumstances where consent could be an issue, e.g. divorce of parents, custody issues, etc. Parents may withdraw permission, in writing, at any time. Consent has to be given by all interested parties in order for it to be deemed valid. Learners’ full names will not be published alongside their image by the school and vice versa. E-mail and postal addresses of learners will not be published. Often, the press wishes to publish full names for members of teams. In these cases, the member of staff supervising will ensure that appropriate permission is sought. Before posting learner work on the Internet, the member of staff responsible must check that permission has been given for work to be displayed.
9.3 Video Conferencing (includes Face-time)
9.3(a) All learners are supervised by a member of staff when video conferencing.
9.3(b) Any conferencing equipment is not set to auto-answer and is only switched on for scheduled and approved conferences
9.3(c) No part of any video conference is to be recorded in any medium without the written consent of those taking part
Additional points to consider:
9.3(d) Participants in conferences offered by 3rd party organisations may not necessarily be checked by The Oxbridge International School personnel
9.3(e) All staff is familiarized with the use the video conferencing equipment, particularly how to end a call if at any point any person taking part becomes unhappy with the content of the conference
9.4 Personal Mobile Devices (Personal Devices) including iPads, phones and other mobile devices provided by school
9.4(a) The school allows staff to bring in Personal Devices for their own use. Under no circumstances does the school allow a member of staff to use an identifiable Personal Device to contact a learner. Staff are advised not to contact a parent using their Personal Device but there may be circumstances concerning a duty of care to learners which override this.
9.4(b) Learners are allowed to bring Personal Devices to school after permission is sought
9.4(c) The school will not be held responsible for the loss, damage or theft of any personal device
9.4(d) The sending of inappropriate (as determined by any involved party) text messages between any member of the school community is not allowed.
9.4(e) Permission must be sought before any image or sound recordings are made on personal devices of any member of the school community
9.4(f) Users bringing Personal Devices into school must ensure there is no inappropriate or illegal content on the device
9.4(g) Where the school provides mobile technologies such as phones, laptops and other devices for offsite visits and trips, these devices must be used.
9.4(h) Where members of staff use Personal Devices to access school services such as email or the intranet, they should not download personal information such as lists of learner names to their phone.
9. 4(i) We strongly advise the use of password protection for personal devices in case of theft, and any staff losing a personal device which is configured for school data services must report the loss to the school as soon as practical. School will then prevent further access by the device.
11. Procedures for Handling and Reporting Incidents
11.1 Learner e-safety incidents
Many incidents of misbehaviour involving ICT do not lead to actual or potential significant offence, harm or distress. These will be be dealt with by OXIS established discipline procedures. Where the member of staff involved believes the event to be an e-safety incident, they will follow this procedure
11.1(a) Log the incident via email to the safety Officer. This fulfils the duty to inform the e-safety Officer.
11.1(b) If the incident constituted misbehaviour the member of staff must add a comment to learners record
11.1(c) The e-safety co-ordinator investigates and decides whether further action should be taken.
11.1(d) Further action may include sanctions and may involve parents. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to involve outside agencies such as the Police or the local authority.
11.1(e) The e-safety co-ordinator will inform pastoral staff as appropriate.
11.2 Staff e-safety incidents
If a member of staff suspects another member of staff has breached this policy, they should report their concerns to the e-Safety co-ordinator or any member of Senior Leadership Team. The e-safety co-ordinator will investigate to see if further action is needed and report to the Administrator. Any internal disciplinary action taken will conform to the Staff Discipline policy (A Resource Handbook for Teachers). If a criminal offence has been committed, the details will be passed on to the appropriate authorities The computers, laptops and printers are provided and maintained for the benefit of all learners, and staff is encouraged to use and enjoy these resources, and help to ensure they remain available to all. All learners are responsible for good behaviour with the resources and on the Internet just as in a classroom. Remember that access is a privilege, not a right and inappropriate use will result in that privilege being withdrawn. The following ICT Policies must be adhered to at all times;
• ICT Equipment Usage Policy – Safe & effective use of ICT Resources (Handbooks for Staff and Learners)
• Learner Printing Policy – Limit Printing and Appropriate Use
• Data Storage Policy – Defines file types allowed and appropriate Use (Data Privacy)
• Internet & E-Safety Policy – Safeguarding Children Online
• Security & Privacy Policy – Accountability and Data Protection
In addition to the ICT Policies the following School Policies must also be adhered to:
- Bullying and Cyber Bullying
- OXIS Code of Conduct
- Health & Safety Policy
The above policies can be found in electronic format via the learners’ desktop or via the schools Website from September 2020 onwards. Also paper copies are available (minimum use) on request via learner Services or the IT Office. The ICT Policies and Procedures are subject to change and review at any time without prior notice. It is recommended that learners read through these ICT policies at least once a term. If any queries or concerns arise, then please contact ICT Network Manager. Please read this document carefully. Only once it has been signed and returned will access to the ICT Resources be permitted. Violation of these provisions, access to these Resources will be restricted and subject to disciplinary action. Additional action may be taken by the school in line with existing policies regarding school behaviour. Where appropriate, police may be involved or other legal action taken.
• This policy applies to all school computers and devices and also any mobile and tablet devices that you use in school, and also to your online behavior towards other Oxbridge International School users inside and outside of school.
• Do not record sound, video, take photographs in lessons on any device unless for an activity under the direction and permission of a teacher. Do not upload online, share or broadcast any such content unless given specific permission by your teacher.
• Use of mobile devices in class is under the choice, permission and direction of the teacher.
• Electronic contact & discussions with your teacher must be respectful and professional at all times and must only be part of approved school activities.
• You must ensure that your mobile device for class use has sufficient storage capacity available for downloading school apps and performing educational activities.
• Protect our identities online by not sharing passwords, not uploading personal details of you or other Oxbridge International School users. Regularly check and review your privacy settings on online sites & accounts.
• Accessing someone else’s computer, phone or tablet or school/online accounts without that person’s permission is illegal.
• Always ensure that your mobile device, tablet device and any online accounts that you use have passcodes switched on, and that passcodes are not revealed or shared with others.
• Do not upload or share images, video and other content that is indecent or could embarrass or harass others, or could break the law.
• Report any suspicious online sexual approaches or threatening behaviour to the e-Safety Officer, Network Manager or teacher, and also to the authorities where appropriate.
• Do not publish or share any information that defames, undermines, misrepresents, or tarnishes the reputation of the school or its users.
• Do not bully others online, and report any harassment or bullying to the e-Safety Co-ordinator or Network Manager or teacher.
• Do not access unsuitable or inappropriate material online.
• Back up any important work by making a copy and storing it somewhere else that is safe.
• Copying files (images, music, video, text) that are copyright protected is against the law.
• Do not install software onto the school network, or try to circumnavigate any of the network and ICT controls that are in place.
• The school may monitor your use of IT systems and online behavior to maintain safety and also compliance with this policy.